DTIObOAB?* 


No.  126. 

THE  HOSPITAL  MADE  A  BETHEL. 

"I   DO  SO  WANT  TO  DIE  THERE." 


Soldiers!  there  are  many  thousand  hearts  praying  for 
you;  but  it  needs  that  you  pray  also  for  yourselves  ;  not 
those  of  you  only  who  have  learnt  something  of  a  Sa- 
viour's love,  but  every  soldier  in  the  ranks?  I  want 
every  one  who  reads  this  to  pray  that  the  Lord  Jesus 
would  soften  his  heart,  and  make  him  hate  sin.  Do  not 
any  one  of  you  think  that  you  are  too  sinful  to  pray. 
Jesus  Christ  died  for  poor  sinners,  and  the  feeling  your- 
self  to  be  wretched  and  deserving  of  death  is  the  first 
step  in  coming  to  Him.  And  even  those  of  you  who 
are  careless,  and  are  not  yet  even  sorry  fur  your  cold- 
ness, do  you  begin  by  saying  a  prayer.  Say  it  reveren- 
tially, even  if  you  cannot  do  so  heartily,  and  it  may  be 
that  He  who  knows  tiie  weakness  and  wickedness  of 
your  natural  frame  will  answer  even  your  prayers.  No 
heart  is  too  hard  for  His  love  to  constrain;  only  look  to 
Him;  ask  Him  to  make  you  love  Him. 

1  will  tell  you  of  a  poor  sinner  who  was  brought  to 
feel  his  vileness,  and  the  power  of  Jesus  to  save  him. 
He  was  ltd  to  do  this  by  a  dreadful  accident  and  ago- 
nizing pain.  Oh,  do  not  you  wait  for  trial  to  drive  you 
to  the  feet  of  your  offended  God  ;  but  now  turn  to  Him, 
for  He  loves  rather  to  draw  you  to  Himself  by  love  and 
tender  mercy. 

William  L was  a  young  solder  of  reckless,  disso- 
lute character.     He  married  a  young  woman  who,  like 


himself,  knew  not  the  Lord.  A  few  short  months  only 
had  they  spent  together,  when  his  regiment  was  ordered 
away.  Sad  was  the  parting  to  the  poor  young  wife, 
who  was  left  with  her  only  relative,  a  very  bad  uncle, 
to  earn  her  daily  bread. 

William  L reached  his  station  in  safety,  and  be- 
gan his  march  up  country.  But  one  day,  in  jumping 
out  of  a  wagon,  to  take  his  turn  of  keeping  guard,  he 
fell,  and  the  wheel  passed  over  his  neck  and  chin.  He 
was  taken  up  senseless  and  brought  to  our  hospital. 
There  for  days  he  remained  on  the  borders  of  the  grave, 
unable  to  speak  or  move  ;  a  most  dreadful  object  to  look 
upon. 

There  I  saw  him  the  day  he  was  brought  in.  He 
was  the  only  man  of  his  regiment  left  behind,  and, 
therefore,  from  ignorance  of  his  former  character,  it  was 
very  difficult  to  know  in  what  manner  it  was  needful  to 
speak  to  him  of  gospel  truths. 

There  was  in  the  same  ward  a  soldier  of  another  re<ri- 
me'nt,  a  very  earnest  Christian,  who  was  delighted  to 
meet  a  fellow-citizen,  and  who  tended  William  very 
kindly.  Knowing  how  little  hope  the  doctors  enter- 
tained of  his  life,  we  were  both  deeply  anxious  that, 
though  apparently  wandering,  words  of  Divine  truth 
should  be  constantly  spoken  beside  him,  and  so  we  read 
beside  him,  and  breathed  earnest  prayers  that  the  love 
of  Jesus  might  cheer  that  suffering  one.  After  a  few 
days  he  began  to  amend  ;  but  before  he  could  articulate, 
he  told  us  by  signs,  in  answer  to  our  questions,  that  he 
had  been  living  without  God  in  the  world,  but  that  now 
the  nearness  of  death  made  him  glad  to  hear  the  Bible. 

God  was  very  gracious  to  him,  and  spared  him  awhile 
to  learn  a  little  of  his  long  neglected  Saviour.  Contrary 
to  all  expectation,  he  was  very  soon  up  and  about  again, 


iHb    iiuarn  ALT  MADE    A    BETHEL. 

as  strong  as  ever.  Naturally,  Ho  was  a  man  devoid  of 
keen  feeling,  and  a  long  course  of  sin  hardened  him  to 
any  gentle  emotions.  Consequently,  he  found  it  very 
difficult  to  learn  to  love  his  Saviour.  He  was  deeply 
humbled  with  a  sense  of  his  vileness,  and  came  trem- 
bling to  the  Cross.  There  comfort  was  given  him,  and 
he  enjoyed  a  trustful  assurance  that  the  blood  of  sprink- 
ling had  washed  away  even  his  sins.  He  clung  to  the 
Saviour  as  all  his  hope ;  but  it  was  from  knowing  that 
He  was  all  his  hope,  not  with  any  loving  realization  of 
his  adoption  to  sonship.  As  yet  he  knew  not  that  per- 
fect love  which  casteth  out  fear.  He  rested  on  such 
verses  as,  "  Be  Thou  my  strong  habitation,  whereunto 
I  may  continually  resort."  "Thou  art  my  strong  re- 
fuge." His  countenance  was  stern,  and  his  extreme 
dread  of  again  falling  away  caused  him  continued  de- 
pression. 

This  seemed  so  strange,  though  we  were  very  thank- 
ful to  mark  his  repentance  and  humility,  that  our  re- 
joicing over  him  was  with  trembling,  lest  any  hidden 
root  of  bitterness  should  be  the  cause.  William  was 
very  reserved,  yet  there  was  no  doubt  that  he  was  thor- 
oughly sincere.  His  reverence  for  the  Bible,  and 
eagerness  to  learn  more  of  his  Saviour,  was  marked — 
there  was  no  half-heartedness  about  him. 

His  recovery  was  wonderfully  rapid.  I  found  him 
one  forenoon  in  his  uniform,  with  all  his  arms  bur- 
nished. He  said  to  me,  "  I  've  got  my  discharge  from 
Dr. ,  and  so  I  'm  going  right  away  with  a  com- 
pany of  my  own  regiment  who  are  passing  through 
to-day  ;  I  'm  very  sorry  to  go."  He  begged  me  to  read 
to  him  once  more.  We  chose  Isaiah  iv,  and  then  I  tried 
to  point  out  some  of  the  precious  thoughts  it  contains. 
He  was  particularly  struck  with  those  words,  "Shall  be 


111L    HU&P11AL    A\UL    A    iil.llllLL. 

c«//ec/  holy,"  and  told  m?  that  lie  felt  lie  had  been 
washed  in  the  blood  of  Jesus  from  all  his  old  filth,  that 
it  hail  been  indeed  by  sore  judgment  that  he  had  been 
led  to  see  the  truth,  and  now  he  would  strive  to  walk 
close  with  his  God;  but  he  felt  so  weak  he  trembled 
lest  he  should  be  led  astimy*  He  begged  me  to  pray  for 
.him,  and  promised  that  he  would  take  this  word  as  his 
watchword,  u called  holy ;"  but  he  told  me  he  had  no 
hope  ever  to  be  so  holy  that  his  companions  would  be 
able  to  call  him  so.  He  clung  to  that  word  that  there  is 
a  tabernacle  for  the  tempted  ones;  a  cleft  in  the  rock  ;  a 
place  of  refuse  ;  where  they  can,  in  other  strength  than 
their  own,  stand  shielded  midst  life's  temptations.  As  I 
shook  hands  with  him  he  said,  "  If  I  could,  I  would 
never  leave  this  hospital  ;  it  has  been  a  Bethel  to  me, 
and  I  can't  expect  now  to  find  any  other  place  the  same. 
I  seem  strange  and  cold,  and  the  men  all  think  you  are 
mistaken  in  thinking  so  kindly  of  me  ;  but  1  'm  true  for 
all  that,  and  may  be,  some  time  or  other,  I  may  come  to 
love  the  Rock  I  'm  clinging  to." 

I  was  at  the  hospital  next  morning.  Campbell  came 
to  me  in  great  distress,  to  say  that  shortly  after  I  bad 
left  the  day  previous  William  had  been  reading  aloud  a 
newspaper  on  his  bed  when  he  called  out  suddenly, 
14 1  'm  very  ill,"  and  fell  back.  They  went  to  him;  the 
apothecary  declared  it  was  cholera,  and  immediately 
had  him  conveyed  to  a  little  adjoining  room,  where  he 
was  placed  alone  for  fear  of  infection.  All  night  he 
had  been  crying  out  in  dreadful  pain;  and  still  his 
pleadings  for  water,  which  the  doctor  had  forbidden, 
were  very  sad  to  hear. 

Campbell  had  been  as  much  with  him  as  was  al- 
lowed, and  told  me  William  had  in  moments  of  con- 
sciousness expressed  his  peace  and  joy  in  believing;  it 


had  softened  all  his  pain  to  feel  it  was  his  Saviour  who 
was  chastening  him,  and  often  through  the  night  he  had 
seemed  to  be  speaking  with  Him. 

He  had  wished  to  see  me,  so  I  went  in.  "  All  I 
wanted  is  given  me,"  he  said;  "I  did  so  want  to  die 
here,  because  I  feared  my  heart  would  forget  again,  and 
I  knew  up  in  the  front  there  would  be  no  one  to  help  me 
to  love  Jesus."  I  read  to  him  verses  from  Romans  viii, 
and  1  John  iii.  <'  I  'm  just  dying,"  he  murmured  ;  "oh, 
give  me  some  water."  It  was  useless  now  to  torture 
him  with  refusing,  for  he  was  fast  sinking.  The  second 
illness  had  broken  down  even  his  iron  frame.  "  I  'm 
clinging  to  the  Rock — I  'm  so  glad  I  shall  see  Him  so 
soon — I  'm  not  afraid,  for  I  did  go  just  as  I  was, 

*         *         *         "Without  one  plea, 
But  that  his  blood  was  shed  for  me." 

He  was  wandering  all  the  rest  of  the  day.  The  next 
morning  Campbell  would  not  let  me  see  him;  William 
had  become  quite  black  in  the  face,  and  Campbell  feared 
the  closeness  of  the  room  might  make  me  ill. 

William  died  a  few  hours  after.  He  had  said  to 
Campbell,  "I  'ye  been  praying  for  my  poor  wife;  may 
this  sorrow  lead  her  to  One  who  Ml  be  better  to  her  than 
ever  I  was."  One  of  the  last  things  he  was  distinctly 
heard  to  repeat  was  a  verse  of  a  favorite  hymn — 

"  Be  with  me  through  the  valley, 
When  heart  and  flesh  shall  fail ; 
And  softly,  softly,  lead  me  on, 
Until  within  the  veil. 

"  Then  faith  shall  turn  to  gladness, 
To  find  myself  with  Thee ; 
And  trembling  hope  shall  realize 
Her  full  felicity." 


His  last  words  were  to  Campbell,  u  Jesus  has  come 
for  me  now  ;  I  don't  need  the  tabernacle  any  more,  for 
it  will  be  fulness  of  Joy  in  His  presence  for  ever  and 
ever." 

And  what  of  his  Sophie?  She  lives  yet  in  the  old 
town.  God  took  her  baby  to  Himself,  and  father  and 
child  now  wait  to  welcome  her.  She  was  broken- 
hearted when  tidings  of  her  loss  came,  and  u  thought 
bitter  things  of  Him  who  had  sent  her  sucli  bitter  sor- 
row." But  she  thinks  not  so  now.  Her  William's 
prayers  were  answered,  and  she  now  looks  to  meeting 
him  in  their  heavenly  home.  She  feels  they  are  not 
lost  to  each  other;  the  Saviour  is  all  her  trust,  and  she 
rejoices  in  His  love.  Her  constant  prayer  is  to  be  made 
ready  to  see  Him,  and  for  the  hour  of  her  summons  she 
now  waits  in  a  loving,  trustful  spirit. 

I  must  not  talk  to  you  longer,  dear  soldiers,  but  I  will 
just  ask  each  of  you  to  learn  this  fourth  chapter  of 
Isaiah;  it  is  very  short,  and  will  not  take  up  much  of 
your    time.     May   He,   who    so    blessed    it    to  William 

L ,  give  it  power  to  lead   many  of  you    close  to 

Himself.  Soon  you  will  be  lost  for  ever  if  that  ''taber- 
nacle" is  not  your  hiding  place.  It  has  sheltered  many 
travellers  along  life's  rou^h  way.  Many  a  weary,  suffer- 
ing one,  who  once  hid  there,  lias  now  entered  that  land 
of   which   it   is   written,   «' There   shall   be    no    night 

THERE." 


PUBLISHED    BY    THE    SOUTH    CAROLINA    TRACT    SOCIETY. 

Printed  by  Evaus  &  Cogbwell,  No.  3  Broad  itreot,  Charl«8ton,  S.  C. 


LIST    OF    TRACTS 


r*'BLlSHED    BY    THE 


SOUTH    CAROLINA    TRACT    SOCIETY. 


No.  of  Number 

Tract.  of  pages 

l..Am   I   Self-Deceived 4 

2.. Have  You ? 12 

3.  .The  Sinner's  Friend 20 

4.. The  Act  of  Faith 4 

5.. What    is   it   to   Believe   on 
Christ? 4 

6.  .Dialogue  between  the  Bible 

and  a  Sinner 4 

7.  .Self-Dedication  to  God. ...  -J 

S..  Why  Do  We  Sit  Still 4 

9.. Ye  Shall  Not  Surely  Die..  4 

10.  .A  Convenient  Season 4 

11 .  .The  Bible  the  Word  of  God  4 

12.. Three  Words 4 

13..  A  Word  of  Warning 4 

14.. Grieving  the  Spirit  of  God  4 

15.. Hinder  Me  Not 4 

16.. The  Soldier's  Pocket  Bible.10 
17.. I  Don't  Like  Professions...  4 
18. .The  Bible  in  my  Trunk...  4 
19. .How  to  Dispose  ot  Care.   4 

20.. The  Way  of  Peace 8 

21.. Quench  Not  the  Spirit ... .  4 

22.. Fatal  Delusions 4 

2.°... The  Sword  of  the  Spirit..   4 

21 .  .Procrastination 4 

25.. The  Missionary's  Nephew  4 

20..  Lost  Convictions 4 

27.. Profane  Swearing 4 

88.-. Obstacles  to  Conversion..   4 

29.. The  Spirit  Grieved 4 

30.. Counsel  to  the  Convicted.  4 
31. .Every  Man    the  Friend  or 

the  Enemy  of  Christ. ...  4 

32.  .The  Soldier's  Victory & 

33.. The  Wrath  to  Come 4 

34. .What  Are  You  Fit  For?..  S 
35.. Christ   a   Covert    from   the 

Tempest 8 

30.. The  Christian  Traveller..  8 
37.  .Napoleon's    Argument    for 
the  Divinity  of  Christ  and 
the  Scriptures S 

33.  .1  Can't  Make  Myself  Differ- 

ent   8 

39.. The    Sinner   his   own    De- 
stroyer   8 


No.  of  Number 

Tract.  of  pages 

40.  .The  Infidel's  Creed  ;  or.  The 

Credulity  of  Infidelity 8 

41.. Alarm  to  the  Careless....   S 

42.  .True  Conversion 8 

43.  .The  Christian  Olficer 8 

44.. Our  War.  Our  Cause,  and 

Our  Duty 10 

45.. The    Crimean     Hero:    the 

late  Captain  Vicars 12 

10.. The  Muffled  Drum 8 

47.. How    Do   You    Bear  Your 

Trials? 8 

48.  .How  Long  Have  You  Been 

Sick? 12 

49.. Soldier!     Do    You    Believe 

the  Bible? 4 

50.. The  Long  Roll 4 

51.. Mortally  Wounded 8 

52.  .The  Sailor  Lost  and  Found  8 

53.  .Captain  Deverell ;  or,  From 

Darkness  to  Light 12 

54.. A  Word  from  the  Ladies  of 
the  Soldiers'  Relief  Asso- 
ciation  of  Charleston   to 

the  Soldier 4 

55.. Col.  Gardiner  —  as  a  Man, 

a  Christian,  and  a  Soldier.24 

56.. The  Railway  Guide 16 

57.. The  Confederate  Hero  and 

his  Patriotic   Father.... 16 

58.  .The  Sailor's  Home 8 

59.  .Kind  Words  to  a  Wounded 

Soldier 8 

60.  .TheEventfulTwelveHours; 

or,  The    Destitution   and 
Wretchedness      of     the 

Drunkard 16 

61.. The  Dying  Robber 8 

62.  .Do  You  Pray  in  Secret  ?. . .  4 
63.. Do  You  Enjoy  Religion?..  4 
64 . .  I  've  Never  Thought  of  Dy- 

ing  So 4 

65.. Why  Sit  Ye  Here  Idle?...  4 

60.. Come  and  Welcome 12 

67.  .The  Sill?  Fish 4 

68.. Why  Yet   Impenitent? 4 

69. .  Who  Slew  All  These  ? 4 


Tmct. 

70. 

71. 
72. 

73. 
71. 

7;'). 
70. 
77. 

78. 
79. 
SO. 
81. 

82. 

83. 
84. 


85. 
86. 


Karabtr  I 
of  pages  : 

Th^Navy  Surirrnn I 'J  J 

A  wrue  Story  of  Luc  know  8  j 
The  Sailor  and  the  SolcJier  8 
Axe  You  Not  Afraid  to  Die?  4 
The  Wonderful  Esqgpe>.    1 

The  Two  Soldiers I 

Where  Are  Von   Going?.    0 
The  Young  Officer's   Start 

in  Life/..j S 

Shew  Me  Myself — 

Divine  Grace  Illustrated.  4 

The  Christian  Soldier S 

Mustered  into  Service...   S 
Lieul.  R.  ;    or.  The  Traet 


Read  in  tJjA  Theatre.  . . 
'hvself  No  Uarnu... 


Do  Thy 

Appeal  tothe Youth, and  es- 
pecially to  the  Soldiers  of 
the  Confederate  SHiles..lb 

Very  Short  and  Very  Long, 
and  The  Strict  Search. .   8 

The  Fatal  Mi -take;  or, 
The  Midnight  Shipwreck 


I 
87.. The  Ikiy  of  Trial 4 

88. 
89. 


,My  Time  is  But  a  Day.  .  .    I 
•  The  Substance  of  the  Gos- 
pel ....<..< •  •  •   4 

90.. Noah's  Carpenters........    1 

*  91  .""Come  and  Rest 1 

9<V  -A  Patriotic  Sermon 4 

93.  .Discharged  — I  am  Going 

.   *  Home 4 

94.  .Anecdotes  for  theSoldiers, 

No.  1 24 

95.  .Anecdotes  tortheSoldiers, 

-No.  2 24 

96.. A  Kind  Word  to  the  Offi- 
cers of  our  Army 4 

97.. Soldiers  in    Hospital;   or, 

Come  to  Christ 4 

98.. The  Old  Soldier 4 

99.  .A  Letter  to  a  Son  in  Camp  4 
100.. The  Colonel's  Conversion 

—  A    Chief  of    Sinners 
made  a  Chief  of  Saints.  2  1 

101.. The  Muster 4 

102.. The   Guard-House 4 

103. .An   Appeal  to  Young  Sol- 
diers     8 

104.  .Drinking,"    Disobedience, 

and    Death 12 

10C>.. An   Affectionate   Entreaty 

—  Invitation  and  Accept- 
ance  0 4 


Vn.    Of 

Tract. 

io>;. 

107. 

108. 
109. 
110. 


111. 


112. 
113. 


114. 
115. 

116. 

117. 
lib. 


119. 
120. 
121. 

122. 
123. 

124. 
125. 

126. 


127. 
128. 
129. 


130. 
131. 


132. 


Knmber 
•f  pages 

,"  Here  is  my  IIeart."  etc.  .4 
,A  Help  to  Self-Dedication  4 
Triumphant  Death  on  the 

Baille-field 8 

Piety  Gives  Courage  and 

Peace  in  Death S 

.Military    Execution  :    Sin 
Pound  Out— The  Melt- 
ing Power  of  Kindness*  4 
.TheDying  Officer  in  Par- 
racks  —  Christ     in     the 

Valley 8 

.The  Sergeant's  Story.;..  4 
•  The    Dead     March  — and. 
The    Dead     Coming    to 

Life  Asa  in 8 

.The   Brand.  Plucked   from 

the    Fire 4 

■  The  Converted  Soldier  He- 
come  a  Zealotts  Mission- 
ary     8 

.The    Major's    Account    of 

Himself 8 

.The  Captain's  Speech 2 

.An  Account  of  the  Con- 
version of  several  Offi- 
cers at  West  Point 6 

.Admiral    Lord   Gaiubier..l2 

.A  Word  to  the  Sick 8 

.A    Soldier    may    Die    the 
.     Death  of  tne  Righteous.  8 

.The  Fight  of  Faith — 

.The  Skeptical  Young  Offi- 
cer    8 

.A  Happy  Release 8 

.The  Soldier's  Dying  Grief 

and  Glory 8 

.Tho  Hospital  made  a 
Bethel— 'I  do  so  want 

to  die  there" 8 

."We  shoukLlive  looking 
unto  Jesus" — The  Ser- 
geant's Story 8 

.The  Soldier  Boy  and  his 
Father — vi  Grasping  the 

Promises" 24 

.The  Colonel  Baptized  in 
Presence  of  his  Regi- 
ment   4 

.Our  Da  Hirer  and  Our  Duty.  16 
.The  Christian   Soldier  the 

True  Hero 4 

.Patriotism  not  Religion..  4 


Hollinger  Corp. 
PH8.5 


